Bad blood
by Kaitlen Winchester
Summary: Elizabeta Riddle,15 and a parselmouth, lives in Malfoy manor with the other death eaters and her father. Spying for him is easy. Spying on him is hard. Spying on him and not getting caught is the hard part. Year five. Cannon pairings. Voldemort's daughter
1. Old snake

"Elizabeta!" My father shouted. Oh what did the old snake want this time?

"Coming father!" I shouted back. I turned back to the mirror on Draco's door and applied my eyeliner and deep red lipstick. "Draco? How do I look?" I asked the boy I was sharing a room with. My black gown flowed to the floor. "Like the beautiful Elizabeta Amelia Riddle, the Dark Lord's daughter, my lady." He said as he stood up from his bed. I smiled. I opened the door to see a great, big, dirty snake. "_**Your father awaits you my lady."**_ The snake hissed gently.

"_**Thank you Nagini." **_I hissed back.

"It still freaks me out when you do that, Elizabeta." Draco shuddered. I smiled again. I really liked Draco, ever since my father came back he has been there for me, even though I am a Gryffindor and he is a Slytherin. "Do what, snake?"

"Talk Parseltounge, lion."

"Oh that, well if I need to talk to Nagini then I need to talk snake language don't I?" I retorted. "Oh and you should probably come to the meeting." I called to him as I walked down the hall. I heard Draco's foot steps behind me and smiled.

"You wanted to see me my lord?" I asked as I took my seat next to my father in the Malfoy's dining room. He sat at the head of the table. Lord Voldemort. It was hard to believe he was related to me. This red eyed, snake like man had once looked exactly like me but in male form. Apart from the eyes. His eyes had not been blue. His had been brown. Mine were the brightest blue in the world. His hair used to be chocolate brown like mine and his skin used to be fair. Now he has no hair and looks like a human-snake hybrid. So I call him the old snake behind his back. "Ah yes, my daughter. I trust you know all of my followers." I looked around. On the other side of my dad was Bellatrix. On my other side was Draco and his family. "Yes father, dear Bellatrix who likes to play with her food before she eats it," for some reason, she looked shocked at this. "And the traitor Wormtail." I said with a smile. Keeping up pretence is hard but fun. "Yes the rest of them are here too. Yaxley, Dolohv, ah Professor Snape. Still spying on Dumbledore I take it?"

"Yes Miss Riddle." I looked into those cold, black eyes and they looked back at me.

"Elizabeta, I want you to get close to Harry Potter. You are in his house at Hogwarts. Taking after your mother though you are still the heir of Slytherin. Tell us, how did you get into Gryffindor?" I froze.

"As you said, taking after mother, I barley knew about you since you had been gone eleven years. I don't think my abilities had shown themselves yet so, Gryffindor it was." I looked at Draco. He was looking at me. His sleek, pale blond hair shone. His pink lips were pressed in a tight line. His grey blue eyes sparked in the light of the chandelier. Draco nodded slightly and I breathed a sigh of relief. I looked at my father again and felt Draco's hand squeeze mine under the table for reassurance only. We were just friends. Father was talking to his Death eaters. I wasn't paying attention. I just imagined going back to Hogwarts and, somehow, following my father's orders while helping the Order of the Phoenix. Yes, that's right. I, Elizabeta Amelia Riddle daughter of the dark lord, helped the Order of the Phoenix get rid of my dearest father. I can't wait until I am rid of him. Good job school starts tomorrow. I might get to sit with Harry on the train.


	2. Muggles and threats

"Harry!" I shouted over the infernal racket that was coming from the other students.

"Elizabeta!" He said joyfully. I was now stood right in front of him.

"Who are they? Muggles?" I asked. I may not like my father but we both share the same distaste for muggles. Not muggle-borns, just muggles. "Oh, yeah. Just the Dursleys. The relatives I live with remember?" He said. Sapphires met emeralds and we both smiled. I turned to the Dursleys. "So, muggle, I do very much hope that you have been taking care of my dear friend Harry here. Treating him like you would your own fat lump son. Well, have you?" I asked. Harry had told me just how bad these muggles really are. "Why should a freak deserve to be treated the same as our Dudley? And what are you going to do us if we haven't eh? Get your Daddy on us?" The one that looked like a walrus chucked. I laughed darkly.

"Well, if you want the darkest wizard that ever roamed the earth to come and kill you, then yes. I will get Lord Voldemort 'on you' as you say. Savvy?" I stood right close to his face and spoke softly but menacingly enough so that he whimpered and nodded slightly. "Good." I said. I got away from the bad breathed thing and smiled. My sudden change of mood put a smile on Harry's face and scared Mr. Blobby even more. I grabbed his hand and said, "Come _on_ Harry let's go. We have to meet Ron and Hermione. Bye bye Vernon." I said. He looked terrified that I knew his name. I dragged Harry and our trolleys through the barrier.


	3. That was low

As soon as we got through the wall, there was a big black dog waiting for Harry. "Heya Sirius." I said, scratching it behind the ears. It looked to Harry, confusion filled it's face. "How do you know?" Harry asked me, there was a slight urgency to his voice. "Daughter of the Dark Lord, I know everything me. And I work for the Order." I said tapping my fore arm. My mark burned slightly but I didn't let on. I was the youngest ever to receive the dark mark. I got it when I was one. The year my father disappeared. I didn't want to be a death eater, but really I had no choice. It was either mum agreeing to me getting the mark and her dying, or her getting the mark and me dying. She chose death. Coward. Sirius looked at Harry again but I pretended I didn't notice. "Come one," I said straitening up. "We need to get a compartment. Oh hi Ron, Hermione." I said as a boy with ginger hair and freckles, and a girl with bushy, brown hair walked up to us. "Hi Elizabeta. How was your summer? Apart from when you were at headquarters I mean." Ron asked. Yes, I had (somehow) spent my summer going back and forth from Malfoy Manor to 12 Grimmald place without my father getting suspicious. I went with Snape most of the time. At least I was a bit more gracious towards Sirius then he was, what with Sirius being cooped up in the place he hated most and I having the liberty of roaming the streets of muggle and wizarding England. Of course, my father didn't know that. "Fine. Spying on dear old Daddy is really great!" I said sarcastically. "What do you think it was like Ron? I nearly got caught twice!" I said in a shouting whisper. Ron looked scared. I looked around the platform and saw the two aurors, Mad-eye Moody and Tonks (both in the Order), that had brought my friends here where looking at me like they would like to do nothing more than arrest me for being me. The big, black, shaggy dog looked like it wanted to talk to me. I looked at Sirius and beckoned him to an empty waiting room thing and Harry followed us.

"You nearly got caught? You never said THAT in the meetings!" He shouted. I cringed slightly. I had had enough shouting and beatings from Lucius Malfoy when my father and Draco were not looking. I still had the scars. "Yeah. And?" I asked, feeling a little defiant towards my Godfather. My mother was one of his and Lily Potter's best friends. He was also Harry's Godfather. "Why should I tell you? You aren't my dad!" I said. Then I regretted it almost immediately. Seeing the sad/ angry look in his eyes, I knew what it was that he would say next. "No. You're right. I am not your father. Your Father is a murderous, raving, evil lunatic. I bet it runs in the family, his mother and father would have been loonies too, and their parents, and their parents." He said in a quite but menacing tone. That was bellow the belt. That was playing dirty. But I wouldn't sink to his level. I felt a single tear fall down my face. I could have shouted back, I could have stood up for my Father, I could have agreed with Sirius. But I didn't. I couldn't get past the fact that he thought the whole family were mad. But, of course, if it ran in the family, then that meant that my godfather thought I was a mentalist too. I couldn't handle it. "Sorry to disappoint you then." I whispered, he opened his mouth to speak but I just turned away and went toward the door to the platform. "Meet you in our usual compartment, Harry." I said as I walked past him, onto the train. As I closed the door, I could just hear Harry's muffled voice saying, "That was low, Padfoot."


	4. Contimplating phrases

I didn't bother to wave from the train window. I just sat with my head against it in an empty compartment. I never wanted to spy for him either. I was sick of it. When I was little, when I didn't know who I was, I dreamed of my Dad taking me away and living a happy life with me. We would laugh and joke. He would comfort me when I was sad. He would point his wand at the first boy who asked me out. He would be over protective and I would love him for it because at least I had him. My one parent. Life is too short and this was no way to spend it. Sneaking around like a snake, thinking about every word before you say it in case you catch yourself out. This was not life. This was torture. And 'all for the greater good' as Dumbledore had told me last year. I had taken the job as soon as he offered it to me. I had believed him, that manipulative old man. I had believed every word he said to me. It was all a lie. It was not for the greater good at all. It wouldn't have mattered if I had taken the job or not. Looking back on it, I didn't really have a choice. Spy against my own father or be an outcast at school and the Order. The two places I fit in a bit. I felt sick to the stomach about betraying him, the man who gave me life. Sure, he may not have made the right choices but that wasn't his fault right? He had been abandoned by his father just before he was born, his mother died in child birth so he had no one. Magic was were he fit in and even then he was abnormal because he was a Parselmouth. It was so unfair. And even then, when he had pleaded to stay at school for summer holidays, they had made him go back to that dingy dump of a place called an orphanage where he defiantly didn't belong. I knew how that felt. To not fit at home and only fit a little at school and such. Even in the Order, I was a person not many actually spoke to unless it was absolutely necessary , in fact that was at school too. Not even old Snape. Ron, Hermione and Harry were always the slightest bit wary of me and my infamous temper in the first place, Draco was scared stiff to be seen with me at school in case his reputation went down hill. And anyway, a Riddle of my status should not be seen with anybody below their standards. So, basically, no one. Was my God father right though? Was I, like my father, destined to be evil and destructive? I don't think I would be able to live with myself if I did.


	5. What did you just say to me!

The compartment door opened and in came Harry. He spared a glance at the only other girl in the compartment, she had walked in after the train had turned the corner. "I'm sorry about what Padfoot said. He didn't mean it." Harry was trying to convince me. Convince me that our god father was just angry for being stuck in that grand house of his. "Really Harry? It certainly sounded like it!" I said. I was sick every one defending that mutt! "He was just angry. You weren't exactly innocent in that argument either you know."

"Yeah but I didn't say his family were mental and evil because it was passed on did I?" I half shouted half sobbed at my god brother. I waited a moment for the meaning of Sirius' words to sink in. He obviously didn't understand what I heard behind them. "He didn't mean-" Harry started, but I cut him off.

"Then why. Did. He. Say. It?" I growled. He looked lost for words. He didn't want to see our God father in the wrong here. "Why didn't you tell him those things about nearly getting caught and that then?" He said, oh so he was pinning the blame on me now was he? "You really want to know? OK then! I didn't want to worry him!" I shouted, and with that I stormed out of the compartment to find Draco.

When I finally found my friend, he was sneering at whatever Crabbe had just said. I cleared my throat to get his attention. He looked annoyed, not knowing who he was about to talk to. "Get lost. I can just tell by the way you clear your throat that you are a stupid Hufflepuff, a know-it-all Ravenclaw or some little Potter-loving Gryffindor." He said. He hadn't turned around once while he was talking to me. I could not BELIEVE what he had just said to me. "Do you want to say that again Draco?" I said in a dangerously quite voice. He spun round. "I said- Elizabeta! Erm, I didn't mean that! Honest!" He was about to say more, I could tell. I didn't stay to listen though, instead I just slammed the compartment door and lay on the floor of a truly empty compartment, only moving to put on my robes. After two or so hours, the train shuddered to a halt. We had arrived.


	6. Blood red and Bright blue

"First years follow me please! Come now!" I stopped dead. That wasn't Hagrid. Hagrid had a nice, warm voice. This person's voice was cold and hard. Professor Grubbly-Plank. Hagrid's substitute teacher. Where was Hagrid then? I decided to let it go and walked along to the carriages and stopped again. I heard Harry, Ron and Hermione walking towards me. "Elizabeta what are they?" Harry gasped.

"What are what?" Ron asked. I shot a look at him.

"The things pulling the carriages? I don't-" I started, but then I was rudely interrupted.

"Nothing's pulling the carriages Harry. They are pulling themselves as always." Hermione put on her know it all voice.

"No Hermione. They are there. Big horses with leathery wings. Almost skeleton like." I described them in perfect detail. She knew I wasn't making it up when Harry started agreeing with me.

"They are there Hemione."

"They can't-"

"Face it Hermione! You were wrong! Everybody is at some point in their life." I didn't rub it in her face though. All I was really trying to do was comfort her in my own special way. I hated it when she pretended to know it all and then, when proved wrong like now, she would turn on the water works and I would get the blame for making her upset. Harry and Ron never got the blame when they rubbed stuff in her face though. They were her best friends. I was the Dark Lord's daughter so naturally everything was my fault. Even if it had nothing to do with me. "It's Ok Hermione. Just ignore it." Ron said to her in a soothing voice, shooting a glare at me.

"Oh so I'm an it now am I?" I said angrily, feeling my temper flash. For some reason, Hermione stopped crying, Ron looked shocked and Harry, who had been looking carefully at me, pulled his friends back a step.

"What?" I asked, still fuming. Harry was the only one brave enough to answer.

"Your eyes." He said warily. I got out a mirror and saw my bright blue eyes had gone a deep, blood red. Like Dad's. Oh God. I started to get scared. Scared I was becoming like him, as soon as the anger vanished, my eyes were bright blue again. I gulped, tears in my eyes, and ran to a carriage and rode off to school. I looked at the back of my hand held mirror and saw it was my special one. The one my Dad had given me when I was one. It was black and had a bright red, gold, green and blue butterfly on it. I had kept it everywhere with me ever since I was five. Then a thought came to me. Every body wanted the dark lord dead. If he died though, that would just make one more orphan, with immense power might I just add, in the world. What would happen to me if he was gone? Would the Ministry see me as a threat? I sound so selfish with this thought, but I can't help it. Wouldn't you want to keep your dad around too if you'd only known him for a year? I wouldn't have anyone to care for me if he died. Apart from Sirius, but then again he did say those horrible things to me on the train. No. I could fend for myself until school is over for me. I could do it. The bumpy ride was over and I climbed down to the muddy path leading to a magnificent castle. This was only my fifth time seeing it, but the effect never did wear off. "Home." I whispered to myself as I set off into the castle.


	7. Pink toads and 'Illuminating' speeches

As soon as I walked in I felt a slight happiness inside of me. I was in the place where a belonged most, even if it was just the smallest bit. I filed into the Great Hall with the rest of the school and caught a glimpse of the new batch of first years as they passed by. They all looked terrified. I smiled at one reassuringly when it turned my way. It looked like Daphne Greengrass's, a fifth year slytherine, little sister. Draco told me she was coming this year. I didn't know the Greengrass family but Draco's and Daphne's families were old friends. The Riddles thought all other wizarding families were below them so we didn't mix much. The little first year smiled then, as she took in who I was, she looked even more terrified. My smile faded and I walked into the huge hall by myself. Sitting down at the Gryffindor table, I usually chatted to Harry, Ron and Hermione but, since I had scared the golden trio, I gazed around the hall and took in my surroundings. The enchanted ceiling was dark, navy blue with tiny diamonds sparkling. I heard, from Hermione, that it was enchanted to look like the sky outside. My second year teacher made pink confetti fall from it on valentines day once. The worst day ever. People thought it would be funny to wind up Riddle the riddle with some cruel messages. The teachers saw every last one of them and still didn't do anything until I started finding and beating up the people who sent them. I looked around some more and saw the usual staff at the head table. Only, Hagrid was missing and in the Defence Against the Dark Arts place was a short, toad like woman wearing a hell of a lot of pink. Pink robes, pink handbag, a huge, stupid pink bow on her headband (Aliceband) and I was willing to bet anything that she was wearing pink shoes to match. As the Sorting Hat started to sing it's song, silence rang through out the hall. When finished, most people clapped and cheered, but I just kept still. The sorting went on and turns out I was right about that little first year. "Greengrass, Aristoria" went to Slytherine with her sister. She got off the stool, her long brown hair flowed behind her as she walked over to were her sister sat , and gave Daphne a big hug. The rest of the ceremony just passed in a blur. I didn't really pay attention until Dumbledore got up and made his speech. He was introducing the new Defence teacher when there was a hamster like cough. We all looked to were the squeak came from. It was that little woman. The toady one. I heard a whisper further down the table. I saw it was Harry telling Ron and Hermione something. "Thank you Professor, for that wonder introduction. And how lovely it is to see all your happy faces smiling up at me." I looked around, I was pretty sure that nobody was smiling. In fact, every one just looked very unimpressed. She waffled on about the Ministry making changes to Hogwarts. Dumbledore described the speech as 'most illuminating' and finally clapped his hands. Mounds of food and gallons of Pumpkin juice and water appeared on the four house tables. I ate a few chips in gravy but that was it. I wasn't all that hungry and didn't really drink that much so when pudding came, all I had was a tiny slice of chocolate cake. Dumbledore sent us to bed and we rolled to the common rooms.


	8. Never argue with a Riddle

"H-hi miss Riddle." Stammered a girl from my year. Groaning inwardly, I looked at her. I was sure her name began with a p. Pa- Pansy? Pat? Parvartie! That was it. Parvartie. "Hi Parvartie. How was your summer?" I asked in a kind voice even though it pisses me off that people called me 'Miss Riddle'. I felt my dark mark sting on my arm and rubbed it. "It was fine thank you miss Riddle. Sorry I have to go to bed." She hurried off quickly to Lavender Brown, another girl in my year. I watched them as they ran up to the dorm, whispering to each other. They kept glancing around to look at me. I looked around and saw the whole common room was whispering to each other. Great, I thought. I saw the Weasley twins walk up to me grinning. These two were the closest thing to friends that I had. They always made me laugh at Grimmald Place. "Elizabeth!" They both said , getting my name wrong.

"My name is Elizabeta." I told them impatiently. They always called me Elizabeth. I hated being called that. "Yeah but what sort of a name is that?" Fred asked. I could always tell them apart. Fred had lighter eyes than George. The also stood a different way. Fred's shoulders slanted to the left and George's to the right. "My name. Elizabeta Amelia Riddle." I snarled. They backed off. I turned on my heel and was about to run up to my dorm when I saw Harry and Seamus arguing. I walked over and asked what was going on. Harry's hand was inching towards his wand. "And you too! The rubbish you two and Dumbledore are coming out with is rubbish." This was an outrage! How dare he say that I would lie about my father!

"How dare you Seamus! You really think that we would lie about something as important as this? He's my Dad!" I shouted. Harry was stood right beside me shouting at Seamus too. Finally, Ron came along and asked what was going on. Seamus asked him heatedly if he believed all the 'rubbish' Harry and I were coming out with. In true Weasley form, he stuck up for us. Harry and I stormed up the stairs towards the dorms and parted at the top of the cold, grey stones. Slamming the door behind me, I fell to the floor and felt tears of anger run down my cheeks. Now Elizabeta Riddle, stop it! You don't cry anymore. I wiped the tears from my face and stood up. Walking over to my trunk at the end of my red four poster bed, I heard the door open again. Looking round, I saw a girl a bit smaller that me with short, brown hair that flecked out at the bottom and deep brown eyes. Her red smile was wide and kind. "Alex!" I cried and ran into her arms. My best friend in the whole entire world hugged me. Alex Sparks was like a sister to me. Her non-identical twin sister Emma Sparks was a few minutes older than her, Alex was still a few months older than me though. "Elizabeta! How are you?"

"I'm coping. Did you hear what Seamus was saying in the common room a minute ago?" I ask furiously.

"Yeah, ignore him, he's just in a strop 'cause his Mum didn't want him to come back this year." Alex just shrugged it off.

"Why?" I didn't even know why he was shouting at us to be honest.

"Have you not been reading the Prophet?" I face palmed myself.

"No."

"They've been making it look like Dumbledore's a crackpot old fool and you and Harry are just silly little attention seeking kids. Stupid right?" She told me as we started to put on our pyjamas. I yawned then answered quietly, "Yeah, stupid." I pulled the hangings around me on my bed and fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.


	9. 7 o'clock on a monday morning

"Elizabeta!" Alex was shaking me awake.

"Alex! Five more minutes!" I groaned. I really wasn't a morning person.

"You said that five minutes ago. It's seven o'clock!" She shouted in my ear. That woke me up. I bolted out of bed and got dressed, stubbing my toe on the edge of my trunk.

"Why didn't you wake me up?" I shouted through a foamy mouth whilst scrubbing my teeth.

"Kinda hard to argue with the most powerful witch of our age when she keeps telling you to bugger off." she told me. I groaned and spit the foam out. I pulled on my robes and looped my tie around my neck. I patted my pockets. Uh oh! I searched my entire room in about thirty seconds and was starting to panic when Alex tapped me on the shoulder. I spun round and saw her hold the thing I treasured most, the thing I used most. My wand.

"Looking for something?" She held it out and I snatched it from her.

"Not funny!" I scowled.

"Then why am I laughing?" She chuckled. I was about to hex her to oblivion but I had an idea to sweet to resist.

"Because you have a twisted sense of humour. Accio Alex's wand!" I said. Her face was graced with shock as she watched me lunge for her wand and catch it neatly in my left hand. The shock started to wear off and I ran out to the common room. I heard her fast foot steps falling behind me. I ran slightly fast and stopped dead. Alex banged into me from behind. My arm was burning. Not just hurting, it felt as though some one had set fire to it. I rubbed it, gave a very shocked Alex her wand back and walked to breakfast in pain. I didn't let on though.


	10. Confrontation Time

"Hi Elizabeta, Alex." Harry said as I sat down next to him. I showed him my arm under the table, trying not to let anyone else see. Harry bit his lip and frowned.

"Dad isn't in a good mood. He-" I started, but I stopped suddenly when I felt a presence behind me. I turned my head and saw a greasy haired git behind me. Snape. His black eyes were cold as ice, his clothes were standard black teachers robes and his stone mask had slipped away for a fraction of a second. He grabbed my arm and twisted it slightly.

"Ow, sir please-"

"It is not wise to be flashing that to other students Miss Riddle." He drawled. Nut his voice had an urgency in it. He twisted my arm slightly further until I nodded. He threw down my marked arm and walked away, robes billowing behind him. I pulled down my sleeve and grabbed a piece of toast with patê on. Chewing it carefully, I decided to get out my sketch book and pencils. Drawing was fun for me, but writing was better. Sadly I didn't have any spare parchment on me so I couldn't. I was just finishing a picture of half eaten toast when a throat cleared behind me. Professor McGonagall was handing out our time tables.

"Miss Riddle, Mr Potter, please not another year like the last four." She asked us in a warning tone.

"It's not like we go looking for trouble Professor." Harry said to her.

"It just finds us and asks us if we want to come on a potentially dangerous adventure. Would you pass up that opportunity?" I asked cheekily. My head of house gave us one of those rare smiles and walked to give everybody else their time tables.

"She likes you." Harry said.

"No, I just inherited my Dad's charm and my Mother's ability to get out of trouble easily. Oh and just a bit of Minnie Marauder inside of me." I said with a wink at the end. We both laughed, but I soon stopped when I felt Hermione's glare.

"Get over it Hermione. What did I ever do to you that made every thing my fault? Is it my father?" I asked seriously. She huffed. Ron shook his head at me and leaned over the table to say,

"She hasn't got a reason. She is just annoyed because Lavender poured pumpkin juice all in her trunk on the train." I stood up abruptly and walked over to Lavender Brown. Confrontation time.


	11. Sorted?

Why did you do that?" I demanded. Lavender flicked her mousey brown hair over her shoulder and turned to face me.

"Do what?"

"You know god damn well know what you cow. Hermione's upset now because you poured pumpkin juice in her trunk. Apologise. Now." I told her angrily. Stupid Lavender decided to retort.

"Or what?" She was getting cocky.

"The thing with messing with me, you whore, is that you just forgot one vital thing about me. My mother was and father still is two of the most powerful wizards in centuries. Put that together and you get me. Now do you want to test me again?" I nearly shouted at her. She didn't look so cocky now, with that look of terror on her face. She squealed like the fat little pig she is and went over to Hermione, who looked both shocked and amused at the same time. Lavender sprouted some rubbish that I couldn't hear, Hermione nodded, and Lavender made her way back here. We crossed paths on the way back to our seats and I smiled darkly at her. Sitting down again, I turned to Hermione.

"Sorted?" I asked.

"Yes thank you. What did you say to her?" Hermione asked quizzically. I tapped my nose.

"Lets just say being one of if not the most powerful witch in school, maybe even the world, has it's advantages." The bell rang and we all got up to go to class.


	12. Note passing

"What do we have now?" I asked my father's greatest enemy. I smiled at that thought. I was friends with my father's worst fear and hate. Harry James Potter. Oh if my father knew how long we had been friends. I would be on my death bed if that were true.

"History of magic, double Potions, Divination and double Defence Against the Dark Arts." He told me with a smile. Harry and I were the most talented students in our year, if not the school, when it came to Defence. Ron groaned from next to me.

"Binns, Snape, Trelawney and that Umbridge woman. Could today get any worse?"

I laughed at him, knowing he was thinking about Potions with Slytherine. I wouldn't mind all that much to be honest. I could give Draco dearest a piece of my mind. Not that Snape would let me of course, but I could at least try. Harry, Ron, Hermione and I all walked to History of Magic rather slowly. It was by far the most boring of all lessons. The only exiting thing that ever happened in that class was in first year when we saw professor Binns walk through the black board for the first time. Now it was just same old same old.

Harry passed me a note in the middle of the lesson. _**Had a nightmare last night.**_ I looked at quickly with a puzzled look and tapped my arm. He nodded . _**Did it involve a door?**_ I replied. He nodded.

_**How did you know?**_ He asked

_**Had the same dream. Something's up.**_ And I knew I was right. I was so glad our desks we always sat in the same place since first year, it was always good when we needed to pass notes to each other. Harry replied quicker and with scruffier hand writing.

_**Is it hurting?**_

_**Yes. But it's nothing.**_ at that note Harry showed Ron and Hermione and all three looked at me sceptically. I subconsciously rubbed my right arm and heard the bell ring. Professor Binns looked up from his book and dismissed us. We packed our things quickly and scurried out of the class room. The first words that were said to me were: "You need to tell the Order." Hermione.

"No." I said firmly. "I am fine. Why should I worry them with something as stupid as this? It always hurts now Dad is back." At the mention of my Dad, my friends tensed. Oh come on! He wasn't that bad was he? He can't have been. We all walked to Potions in silence after that. Well, until of course, we saw Draco and his gang at the entrance of the dungeons.


	13. Threats, spells and memories

I straightened my back, dropped my shoulders and strode straight past him. I heard a shout behind me. "Oi! Riddle!" Draco wanted to talk to me. To bad I wasn't in the mood. I completely ignored him.

"If you don't answer me, I'll hex you!" He threatened. He wanted me to talk to him? Fine. So be it. I poushed him against the wall and pinned him there.

"Next joke Malfoy. You never have, and never will, have the guts to hex a Riddle. Now get lost Draco." I taunted, ready to hex him to oblivion. I could actually feel my hand inch towards my wand. I mentally shook myself. No, if I threaten him with the wand, Snape would come in instantly and take a ridicules amount of points from Gryffindor. I let go of Malfoy as something hit the back of my head and I stumbled back, confused. There was a brief flash of pain then, somehow, I was on the floor.

Harry's face swam in front of my eyes.

"Elizabeta? Are you ok?" He asked. For some reason he looked and sounded really worried. I tried to get up but felt a hand push me down again.

"Harry?" I heard Hermione's voice from behind me. That sounded really scarred. I knew Hermione had waved her wand at me and a piece of parchment appeared in her hand. "Look at this." I could still feel the hand on my shoulder. I blinked and felt my eyes droop. I felt so tired. A thought sprang to mind and I felt myself panic a little.

"Where's Snape? Lesson already started right?" I asked. My eyes droop slightly again. A soft hand stroked my hair. Probably Hermione.

"He went to go and get Madam Pomfrey. Don't go to sleep Elizabeta. You have a concussion. You know what that is yeah?" She asked me softly. Good job it was soft too, my head was banging. I murmured a yes and heard two pairs foot steps, one was a man's and one was a woman's. I could hear the difference in the heaviness. The lighter ones stopped then started again but faster. Like running. I saw Madam Pomfrey's, the school nurse, face as she took the parchment from Hermione.

"Miss Riddle? Can you hear me?" She asked kindly.

"Yes." I answered.

"Right, you three talk to her on the way to the Hospital wing. She needs to stay awake." The medi-witch told Harry, Hermione and probably Ron.

"Severus, these four will have to miss this lesson. Miss Riddle needs talking to, to keep her awake. Kindly go back to the rest of the students, if they ask, Miss Riddle will be fine." The school nurse muttered a spell and I felt my body leave the ground. It felt as though I was on an invisible stretcher. Ron , Harry and Hermione all look concerned, Harry spoke first.

"Remember in first year on the train. We bumped into each other and you said-" He started, but I quoted the day like it was yesterday and not five years ago.

"Sorry but I am in a bit of a rush."

"Doing what?" Harry quoted himself

"I need to meet my Carrot. He has a huge family." Harry laughed at the memory.

"Then we met Ron and his family and you already knew him."

"You said to Harry 'This is my Carrot friend. Told you his family was big.'" Ron sulked.

"You then me and took to me instantly." Hermione joined in.

"You got a bit afraid because of my make up and 'startling eyes'" I remembered her telling me in second year what she thought of me when we first met. I had laughed at the description.

"In second year when you persuaded us all to try butter beer for the first time." Ron recalled.

"I pretended I was drunk and started singing loudly with the twins." I said.

"Detention with Lockhart for driving a flying car to school, we pulled faces at each other when he wasn't looking making him think we were laughing at his jokes." Harry and I were laughing.

"Year three we met Sirius." I said. I felt a little angry at him but he would probably be told about this. He was my godfather after all. We carried on with the memories and soon got to the hospital wing. Little did I know though, there was a trail of blood behind us leading from the dungeons to my left arm…


	14. A question of trust and guilt

"Ow!" I cried, my arm was on fire. I rolled my sleeve up a bit when Madam Pomfrey, who had sorted out the effects of the curse Draco sent at me, wasn't looking, though it didn't matter since she already knew about my mark because she had been told I got it before my father's downfall, and started to panic. The mark. It was bleeding steadily. The medi-witch seemed to notice because she instantly went to her office to floo Dumbledore. Harry saw my mark bleeding and looked me in the eyes. Tears were streaming down my cheeks as Hermione hugged me, not caring about the blood that was getting all over her robes. Ron was talking to me still, trying to keep me distracted, but it wasn't helping. The bell for the end of lessons went, second hour of potions. Thank god I got to skip today. The doors to the Hospital wing were flung open. Professor Dumbledore, followed by McGonagall and Snape burst through the door. Hermione let go of me, and she, along with Harry and Ron, was told to leave the room. Snape grabbed my arm roughly.

"How much does it hurt?" McGonagall asked. I gave Snape a look for gripping my arm so tight.

"A lot, but it is getting better ish. Don't you have a class?" I said as I wiped my tears away with my free hand. The question was directed at Snape and he knew it.

"Don't give me cheek. Why is it bleeding?" Oh yeah, cause I'm supposed to know.

"I don't know. I haven't done anything to it, I swear." I told them. Where was Madam Pomfrey when you needed her. My head was pounding. At that precise moment, Madam Pomfrey came bustling in with a potion of some sort. I drank it and my headache disappeared.

"Thank you Miss." I said. She nodded and stood next to my head of house, muttering something to her.

"You haven't been hit by a curse or hex have you?" Dumbledore asked.

"The whole reason I'm here in the first place was because Draco Malfoy hexed me just before second lesson, sir. But I don't think it has anything to do with that." I said. Dumbledore, who was pacing, twirled and looked me in the eye.

"What is your theory then?" He asked, but not in a sarcastic way, more kind but confused.

"Dad is calling me. He wants me to do something for him urgently. I need to get to Malfoy Manor to see what he want me to do." I said. I was sure this was the reason. But if that Umbridge woman found out I was gone…

"Go, but be quick about it. We can't have you missing to many lessons without it looking suspicious." The Headmaster told me. Madam Pomfrey bandaged my arm up quickly and I flooed to Malfoy Manor. This would be fun, house full of death eaters plus my father and I was walking round in a Gryffindor uniform. Not the best thing to wear but it would have to do.

I swept into the dinning hall once more with a scary look on my face. I knew my eyes would be red because I was fuming. A meeting was being held there. The bang of the doors opening announced my arrival and every body in the hall looked up.

"Elizabeta. You got my message then." My father seemed unfazed by the look on my face, however as I stormed towards him and stopped dead, he saw my eyes.

"Your eyes are red Daughter." He stated. No duh!

"Yeah they do that when I'm angry. Your message nearly exposed us! I didn't realise until I was in the hospital wing because Draco hexed me from behind. The school nurse nearly saw!" I nearly shouted at him. Narcissia frowned at me. She would obviously be having words with Draco about hexing a Riddle from behind. I sat down in the empty seat next to my father.

"Anyway, back to the matter at hand. It is too dangerous to keep pretending we don't have a spy for Dumbledore in our midst. Severus or Elizabeta." My father said. My stomach dropped and I felt scared. He was suspecting the only two people who he could trust. And we were both spying for and on him.

"Father, my lord, I need to get back to school. A ministry official is the new Defence teacher, if she realises that I am gone, we are well and truly screwed." I said, trying to get out as soon as possible. If he knew it was me then he would kill me without a minutes thought. Thank god I had always been able to keep composure on demand.

"An official? Fine, go. But do not say anything stupid daughter, I will know if you do." I cheered silently in my head, but was careful not to let my eyes betray my relief.

"My Lord, Death Eaters." I bid them good bye and walked out of the hall. As soon as the ebony doors were slammed shut, I sprinted to the furthest fire place and took a handful of floo powder.

"Madam Pomfrey's office, Hogwarts School." I shouted as ash filled my mouth. I dropped the powder and was suddenly spinning to school. I stumbled out of the fire place, reached for my wand and said:

"Scorgify." The dirt siphoned off my robes and I hurried to my next lesson, which I was late for. I would report back to Dumbledore later and would not, I hoped, have to face Sirius too. That would be disastrous. I was still annoyed with him, he would grovel, I would punch him then I would forgive him and get in trouble again. Vicious circle. Oh well, time for Trelawney! Joys…


	15. Warning

"How did it go?"

"Was he really mad?"

"Did he hurt you?" I was bombarded with questions when I sat down with Ron and Harry at our Divination table, after giving Trelawney a slip from McGonagall when I gone to see her straight after I came back. I shook my head and sighed.

"He didn't hurt me, he was very mad and it didn't go great. I need to see Snape later. Tel him we are suspected of betraying the dark lord." I answered the boys.

"Only death eaters call him 'The Dark Lord'." He told me. I rolled my eyes.

"Well, considering that I've been around them most of the summer and have him as a father, I think I have an excuse." I told him in a snippy voice.

"Alright calm down." Ron said in a high voice. I shot him a look and said,

"So what're we actually doing?" Harry pointed to the book on the table. 'The Dream Oracle.' Nice (not).

"You said you were suspected." Ron pointed out. Harry frowned and I sighed.

"Dad thinks either Snape of myself is feeding information to the Order. But, because he has told me more than Snape, it looks like things are in Snape's favour rather than mine. If worst comes to worst I die at my Dad's hands. Won't be the first and certainly not the last." I shrugged. I heard a little voice in my head say 'You aren't being truthful about this. You're terrified and you know it.' I shook the voice off and smiled.

"You are way to relaxed about that." Ron said, looking slightly disturbed.

"Please, like I'm scared of death. Get to be with my mum if I did." I said, trying to sound upbeat about it but failing epically. Ron looked at Harry and he shook his head. I was glad they decided to drop it, but I knew they would tell Hermione who, in true Hermione fashion, wouldn't let it go so easily. The rest of the lesson dragged on and lunch finally came. The bell rang and as we descended the ladder to Trelawney's classroom I shouted,

"I can breath again! Freedom!" I heard laughs around me and breathed in deeply. It felt good to breath real, pure air again. I ran down the spiral staircase with Harry and Ron hot on my heels. I saw something out of the corner of my eye and stopped suddenly. I soon was on the floor with two boys on top of me. Harry and Ron had banged into me and fell over.

"Stop messing about you three!" Came a voice.

"Yeah that's our job!" Said an identical one. I rested my head on the cold, hard stone floor.

"Hiya Fred, George." Came Ron's voice.

"Harry Get off me." I said.

"I can't Ron's on top." Came Harry's muffled voice. I laughed as they both got up. I pulled myself up off the floor and dusted myself down.

"Was it just me or was that a first year moment?" I laughed. Harry nodded and Ron joined me in laughing. I stopped when I remembered what had made me stop in the first place.

"Professor Snape!" I shouted over a few first years heads. The greasy haired git turned around and strode over to me.

"We need to talk in privet." I told him. I looked behind us and saw the Weasley twins chatting with Harry and Ron. Snape ushered me to the side.

"Miss Riddle what-" He started in his annoying voice but I stopped him mid-sentence.

"He suspects. You might be safe but watch your step around him. He thinks it's only one of us, more me than you but still. Just be careful." I told him. He looked shocked, then regained his poise and nodded curtly. Oh well, I could only warn him. It was his own fault if he didn't heed my words.


	16. Moments like these

Hermione sprayed her pumpkin juice all over the place in surprise. "Have you told Dumbledore yet?"

"No." I told her. "Snape probably will, I just don't want to see Sirius at the moment. I'm still annoyed with him, he will beg, I'll punch him then I would forgive him and get in trouble for punching him in the face. Vicious, vicious circle." I said whilst shaking my head. Ron laughed while he ate and Hermione slapped him with her book.

"It isn't funny Ron. Elizabeta you have to tell Dumbledore." She told me sternly. I nodded.

"Maybe your right. After last lesson I'll go see him about it." I told her, giving in finally. I looked around for Alex and saw her with her friends. She was my friend too, sure, but she was popular and nearly as smart as a Ravenclaw. She had the same classes as me but was always with Lavender and Parvarti and they absolutely hated my guts. I think it was the threat that made them not like me, or my Dad, or maybe just me. Either or. Alex looked up and waved, I waved back with a smile. When she went back to her conversation with Lavender, I turned back to Harry, Ron and Hermione.

"I'm done. Since it's such a nice day, I'm going to the tree to do some relaxation outside. Anyone joining me?" I asked whilst grabbing my bag from under the bench, the trio nodded and picked their stuff up too. And we headed outside.

I raced my friends down the hill to our usual beach tree near the unusually crystal blue lake. Ignore the looks, I told myself as I ran past glaring children on their lunch break. Harry and Hermione were really competitive so, while I was in front, they were trying to run faster than each other but kept over taking each other. Ron was lagging behind a bit but was still fast. I collapsed under the beach tree and sighed. I felt Hermione and Harry lie down next to me and Ron on the other side of Harry.

"I'm going to miss this." I said hapily.

"What do you mean?" Ron asked.

"Well, when we get our first load of real homework, you and Harry wont be able to relax like me and Hermione. You never do your homework the day or day after you get it." I laughed. Ron sat up, reached over and poked me in the belly.

"Thanks for that Elizabeta." He laughed. They all thought I was joking but it was true. I really would miss the time I had with my three, maybe even four, best and only friends.


	17. Grrrrrrrrr!

The paper bird Parvarti had charmed flew around the class room. Draco jumped and hit it and Seamus shot it with his sling shot. I cast a duplicating charm as it flew past the table Hermione and I were sharing, Ron sent a spark at one and it turned bright orange. Everybody, including the Slytherines, were laughing together until both of them burned and shrivelled up one on Parvati's desk and one on mine.

"Good morning children." Came a sickly sweet voice from the back of the classroom. We all turned in our chairs to see a toad faced, pink dressed person with chubby fingers with dozens of ugly, old fashion rings forced on, horrible curled brown hair underneath a bright pink hat with pink lace on. Lavender was trying not to gag in disgust. I tapped Hermione on the shoulder and pointed to Lavender. She smiled and her mouth fell open and she turned around with her head down. I turned to the front and saw the pink toad looking at me.

"You find something funny miss…?" She asked me.

"Riddle. And it was just something outside." I smirked. She looked annoyed. Hmmm…I wonder why?

"O.. More commonly known as owls." She talked like she had never caught me out. I smiled and zoned out until I heard Harry say,

"So Cedric Diggory dropped dead of his own accord?" Umbridge smirked.

"Cedric Diggory's death was a tragic accident." She was trying not to smile and, thinking Harry was about to burst out on his own, she was pleasantly surprised when we both shouted at the same time:

"Lord Voldemort killed him you must know that!" We were both absolutely fuming. How could she just turn a blind eye to it?

"Detention Mr Potter and Miss Riddle!" She said loudly.

"What? For just telling the TRUTH?" I shouted. She smiled sweetly and I felt my stomach drop.

"Please wait outside for a moment Miss Riddle." I raised my eyebrows, that was it? I shook my head.

"Are you gonna make me? 'Cause I'm pretty sure that using physical contact or magic on a student is illegal." Her smile dropped and mine reappeared. She went to her desk, wrote out a little pink slip and stood up strait again.

"Take this to Professor McGonagall dear." I walked up to her, took the pink slip and thought _anything to get away from that toad_. I walked from away from her with a smile. I walked to Professor McGonagall's office and, just as I left the room, I heard a call from behind me.

"Elizabeta!" Came Harry's voice. I turned around and started walking backwards. I was good at that.

"You too?" I asked.

"I don't get how she can just turn a blind eye to it! I mean, we were there!" He said furiously. I nodded. I thought back to the night my father came back.

**We are at in the audience waiting for the champions to finish the third task and cheering for Harry when my arm starts burning.**

"**Ow." I say and Hermione looks at me.**

"**What's wrong?" She asks me, Ron looks over with puzzlement clear on his face.**

"**Don't start ok?" I say nervously and roll up my sleeve to see my mark was bold on my arm.**

"**You… you're a death eater!" Hermione whispers. Ron's eyes widen.**

"**I swear I didn't choose it! My mum died so I could live and this was the price. Eternal allegiance with Voldemort." I say panicked. Ron nods his head.**

"**I understand. He made people do anything for their family those days, that's what Mum and Dad told me." I am shaking with pain as it kept burning my flesh. I feel a rush of energy behind me and suddenly I am shooting through a rubber tube that makes it extremely hard to breath. The first thing I hear is:**

"**Kill the spare!" I turn and see some green light flash towards me, I duck and spin out of the way.**

"**No!" Harry's voice comes to my ears I look over and see Cedric Diggory lying face down in the dirt. Unmoving. I scream and run over to him just to be held back by rough hands. I am forced to a head stone and see Harry is being given the same treatment. A bone floats towards us both and holds us there against the cold grave.**

That wasn't all I remembered but admittedly there wasn't a lot that I could remember after I passed out from pain when we got to the stadium. Dad had used the cruciatus curse until I agreed to help him. That was a lot. There was a noise over head and we both ran to where it was coming from. I saw it was Peeves and pulled Harry behind a nearby suit of armour. Professor McGonagall soon came out and shooing Peeves away. I took a deep breath and stopped hiding.

"Professor?" I asked. She spun round and looked puzzled.

"Miss Riddle? Mr Potter? What are you doing out of class?" She looked at us sternly from over her glasses and I heard Harry sigh. We gave her the slips and followed her to her office.


	18. Detention with the pink thing

"YOU WHAT?" Angelina was shouting. I shook my head. Harry was getting a mouthful off Angela. She wanted the whole Quidditch team there for tryouts and now Harry had landed a detention with me and Umbridge. I felt sorry for him. He sat back down and grumbled as we ate tea. Ron looked sympathetic towards us, well… as sympathetic as you can look with a mouth full to the brim of Shepard's pie. We ate in silence. I looked at my white wrist watch and tapped Harry on the shoulder.

"We'd best get going. We have the detention in ten minutes." I sighed. Harry nodded and we picked up our bags.

"See you guys later yeah?" Harry asked Ron and Hermione. They nodded and we walked out of the great hall.

"Remember when we were little? When I used to go to the park with you after school for a few minutes?" I laughed, walking backwards. Harry frowned.

"The only time I got away from the Dursleys completely. You were the only nice person to me Elizabeta." He smiled at me. Harry and I briefly went to school together before I moved to a different place. His cousin, Dudley was an idiot back then. We continued to chat and laugh until we came to the dreaded door.

"You knock." I whispered.

"No you." Harry whispered back.

"You."

"You."

"This is getting us nowhere. We both knock." I said, slightly annoyed that we were arguing over a knock at the door. Harry nodded and we both raises our fists to the door and knocked.

"Come in." Came a sickly, sugar sweet voice from inside the DADA teacher's office. I pretended to gag before we walked into the room.

"Ah. Mr Potter and Miss…Riddle. Please sit." The mousy haired, pink spider said, pausing at my name. At least that earned me a little respect. As soon as I walked into that room, I felt depressed. Large amounts of pink do that to me. Harry looked at me and we both sat down at two of the only things that weren't covered in pink.

"You are going to be doing me some lines today. Not with your quill," She reprimed us quickly as we went into our bags to take out a quill each. "You are both going to be using two very special ones of mine." She lay two jet black raven feather quills next to the parchment that was set in the middle of the singular desks.

"What do we write?" Harry asked her, his voice was tight.

"I want you both to write 'I must not tell lies'" She replied, not looking at me.

"How many times?" I asked her.

"Lets just say, until the message sinks in." She smiled, still not looking at me. Harry went to write until I realised something and nudged him.

"You haven't given us any ink."

"Oh you won't need any ink." She said. She sounded too happy for this to be writing normal lines. I wrote the first line and flexed my hand. What was going on? The ink in the quill was blood red… I looked at my hand with a frown. Scratched into the lack of my left hand was the words 'I must not tell lies'. That evil witch with a b! I saw Harry do the same thing and grunt in pain. Umbridge turned around and smiled sickly sweet at us.

"Yes?" She asked. I opened my mouth but Harry kicked me under the desks.

"No." He said coldly.

"That's right," She came right up in my face now, "because you know, deep down, you deserve to be punished." I was reminded of all the beatings I had gotten over my life and hid all emotion from my face, reminding myself that Harry had been poorly treated as a kid too, I nodded and put my head down to continue with the punishment. Not crying out when my hand started bleeding, not making a noise at all. I didn't look up, unlike Harry who I saw glance out of the window from the corner of my eye. At the end of the detention, I didn't talk, I just held my hand out when she asked for it. I was nearly sick when she touched me with those repulsive fingers that were covered in ugly, old fashioned rings. My mark prickled slightly but I ignored it. It was nothing compared to how bad my hand hurt. When she made a comment about how much more I had written, I stayed silent and let Harry make his excuse.

"Well I think both of you need a few more detentions. Every night this week." She dismissed us and we quietly walked from the room and to the Gryffindor tower.

"What's wrong? You didn't argue back once in there, that's not like you at all." Harry asked me, he sounded worried. I plastered on a fake smile.

"Nothing. Just wanted it over with." I lied friend looked suspiciously at me but said nothing as we came to a stop outside the portrait hole. I said the password mechanically and climbed through. Ron and Hermione were waiting for us.

"You're back late." Hermione observed. I lay on the floor and relaxed my back, feeling that nice pain you get when you've been bent over for ages.

"Yeah, Umbridge kept us a while." Harry told them. I took my jumper off along with my robe and rolled my sleeves up, careful not to let Ron and Hermione see my hand."What did she have you do?" Ron asked us.

"Lines." I replied as I sat up and leaned against Hermione's legs. The boys sat opposite to us on arm chairs.

"That it?" He asked, slightly surprised.

"That's it." I said, making eye contact with Harry for a few seconds.

"Well that's not too bad I suppose." He reasoned. I shared a knowing look with Harry and leaned back so I could see Hermione. She smiled at me like she would to a sister. It felt nice to be accepted by people. These three friends of mine, right there. They were my family. And I loved them because they loved me.

"I'm really tired." Hermione finally said.

"Me too. Night boys." I smiled and walked up the stairs with my robe in one hand and my surrogate sister linked to my other.

"Where you being seriose about how easy the detention was?" Hermione asked me. I looked at her, since meeting Ron, Harry and myself she had been landed in one or two detentions with us. Like first year for example when we all went into the woods with Draco and was a night I would never forget, not that I would be allowed to.

"Hermione it was lines. It was OK." I laughed at her doubt. I changed into my grey trackie bottoms and black vest top and climbed into bed. I saw Alex's sleeping figure next to me and smiled.

"Night." I whispered not just to Hermione, but to the unconscious Alex. Still smiling, I closed my eyes and soon fell asleep.


	19. Nightmares and Pictures

"Elizabeta." The cold, harsh voice I recognised as my father's, repetitively whispered softly to me. The sound drew me closer, I felt wet slip down my cheeks in real life but ignored it. I was in Malfoy manor, just outside the formal dinning room. I raised a shaking hand and knocked.

"Worm tail, we have a visitor." Came his lazy sounding voice. There was a scuttling and a scratching. The door slowly creaked open eerily as the rat faced Wormtail appeared in front of me. He grinned with his watery eyes and his one or two missing teeth. He opened the door fully and stood back. I half expected to see a flash of green be aimed at me, but the moment I met those red eyes, The dream swirled and suddenly I was gliding down a glittering corridor. _Just a little further. Just a little more. Come on._ I whispered to my self quietly. My pale, bony hand that didn't look like my real hand, was holding my father's yew and phoenix feather wand out. Oddly enough though, it didn't frighten me one bit. OK maybe a little, but I pushed the fear away to the back of my mind. Feeling a little like my Dad, I went on. A gleaming, midnight blue door was at the very end of the corridor, waiting patiently for me to open it. I moved faster, curiosity burning in my mind. My fingers stretched out towards the smooth, circular door handle. I longed to open that door knowing something rewarding or exiting or useful, or all three, was in there. There was a loud bang in the dormitory and my eyes snapped open. My right hand was outstretched in front of me, I let it drop down in disappointment. So close to finding what was there. So bloody close, and now it was gone. Anger raged through my veins, pulsating into my head and clouding my mind. After punching my pillow, I opened the hanging that I drew around my bed just before I went to sleep and looked out to see Lavender had dropped shampoo in the bathroom. I groaned and fell back to my bed in annoyance.

Hermione and I wondered down the common room together and met the boys there.

"Morning boys. Food?" I asked with a smile, trying to cover up my annoyingly repetitive nightmare. Ron looked at me with big eyes and I laughed. Harry looked at me, he looked a shade paler than he did this morning, mind you I probably did too. Heading down to the Great Hall, we joked and laughed about random things, like Malfoy and his goons Crabbe and Goyal. The four of us sat down near the middle of the Gryffindor table with Harry and myself facing Ron and Hermione. Taking some hot buttery toast from the pile, I bit into a piece with closed eyes. I loved the crunching sound it made when bitten, the feeling of my teeth breathing through the hard surface and the salty butter melting on my tongue. The smell made me feel at ease when I sniffed up, it reminded me of home whenever I had it at the Malfoy's or the care home. After eating a few slices, the owl post arrived. I searched the peck of brown and grey in search of a flash of white. Harry's owl Hedwig sometimes delivered my mail when her twin, and my beautiful owl Apollo, couldn't be bothered or was sending another letter. I spotted two pure white wings and nudged Harry.

"Hedwig and Apollo are back." I smiled at him. Harry looked up and smiled as both snowy owls glided down to the table and landed neatly in between a jug of orange juice and a plate of sausages. I gave Apollo a little toast and untied one of the two letters from his leg. I recognised my Godfather's handwriting immediately.

_Elizabeta,_

_Snuffles here just making sure that you and Harry are fine. Harry wrote to me telling me about what happened yesterday. I don't think you should go and see Him for the rest of the year or it may cause you harm. I am sorry about what happened on the platform before you left and I know I was out of order to say what I did. I stand by my wanting to know what happened to you over the summer but Remus told me I need to apologise for what I said about your family. So I'm sorry. Write back soon, it's getting lonely here._

_Snuffles._

I sighed at the letter and pulled the other from my owl's right leg.

_Hi Elizabeta,_

_Remus here. Just wanted to make sure you were OK. Snuffles told me about what he said on the platform, and while I think you should have told your Godfather or even my self, I still was appalled at what he said to you about your family. I Told him that he can speak coming from the back ground he does and that he needed to apologise immediately, he got in a sulk after that. His face was hilarious but at the same time slightly reminiscent, he used to pull that face all the time when James, Lily or myself told him off. As promised I sent some pictures of your Mum in this letter since I now you don't have many. Hope that they brighten up your day a little._

_Missing you around the house, Remus._

I smiled at Lupin's letter and flicked through the pictures enclosed in the letter and smiled more. There were five pictures in all. Two of a young blonde haired girl standing next to a girl with red hair near some swings, muggle pictures I guessed since they weren't moving, a moving one with the same blonde girl in a Gryffindor uniform stood next to three boys and the red haired girl in the same uniform. The last two were of the blonde girl, now a woman, with a baby girl in her arms waving at the camera. The baby must have been about ten months old and the woman looked around thirty-five ish. The baby was dressed in a purple dress in one and a pair of blue baggy jeans and a top that said 'Daddy's girl' on it. I carefully wiped away the tears that were threatening to fall and smudge my make up. I reached down and delicately put the pictures in my school bag.

"Who are the letters from?" Ron asked me. I looked at him and smiled.

"One from Sirius and one from Lupin. Sirius saying sorry for what he said and all that rubbish. Lupin sent some pictures of my mum."

"That was really good of him. Make sure to send a note back saying thank you Liz." Hermione said from the depths of her book. Ron and Harry looked at me to see if I was going to hit her, but they knew she was the only person I let call me Liz. Mostly because back when we were in first year, I loved it. From third year on though, I though it sounded a little off, like it wasn't me. Hermione however, kept using it so it stuck when she was reminding me of something or telling me off though usually she used my full name for that. My name it's self, Elizabeta Amelia Riddle, didn't seem like it fit me in my opinion. I only liked my last name and even then it was tainted by my Father. I would have loved a more normal name like Anna short for Anastasia or Beth short for Bethany or even just Katie. But no, I had a name from my Mum's favourite book from a character who killed themselves within the first five seconds. Elizabeta named after Elizabeta Dracula from Bram Stocker's novel. I hated that book.

"Don't worry Hermione, I will. I like him too much to forget. He is my favourite professor even if he still doesn't teach." I laughed. I bit into my last piece of toast before we headed to class. We got all the way to the doors before Draco and his mates showed up. I walked straight passed them until he caught me arm.

"I've got a bone to pick with you Riddle." He snarled…


End file.
